{"id":1703,"date":"2026-06-09T07:03:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T07:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1703"},"modified":"2026-06-09T07:03:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T07:03:55","slug":"national-pfas-experts-gather-in-tucson-to-address-forever-chemicals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1703","title":{"rendered":"National PFAS experts gather in Tucson to address forever chemicals"},"content":{"rendered":"
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TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The country\u2019s leading experts on PFAS are gathering in Tucson for the first time ever.<\/p>\n

Read more 2 hospitalized after reported Chandler home invasion<\/a><\/p>\n

The compounds, also known as forever chemicals, have contaminated Tucson\u2019s water supply for four decades.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really big deal to be able to bring the voices that we hear, the stories we hear locally, to a national audience, to talk about what\u2019s happening in the rest of America,\u201d said Paloma Beamer, National PFAS Conference co-chair and the Associate Dean for Community Engagement in the College of Public Health at the University of Arizona.<\/p>\n

Conference brings national attention to local crisis<\/b><\/h3>\n

This is the first time the conference has been held in the southwest and one of the few times in a community directly affected by PFAS contamination. Conference leaders say that it\u2019s important for attending researchers to hear and learn from those at the forefront of this issue.<\/p>\n

The forever chemicals, found in things like common household cleaners and fire retardants, have contaminated Tucson\u2019s water supply for decades. One of the biggest sources of PFAS contamination is the foam used to fight aircraft fires at airports and military bases, including Davis-Monthan, across the country for decades.<\/p>\n

Beamer says 100% of Arizonans have some level of PFAS in their blood, higher than the national average of 98%. She said it\u2019s critical to learn how harmful PFAS chemicals can be and how to reduce exposure to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, they\u2019re all around us; they\u2019re everywhere. We\u2019re trying to understand how to reduce exposure and what level of exposure is hazardous,\u201d Beamer said.<\/p>\n

Federal regulations in jeopardy<\/b><\/h3>\n

Beamer said understanding PFAS exposure is especially important as the federal government attempts to rescind water regulation standards<\/b><\/u><\/i> that limited the amount of PFAS in drinking water.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have not been rolled back yet, but they are in danger of being rolled back unless we hear from community members and scientists advocating for why they\u2019re important,\u201d Beamer said.<\/p>\n

Community members like Linda Robles are speaking out. Robles lost her child to cancer in 2007 and believes their death was caused by PFAS in their water, which has been linked to cancer and immune system disorders.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2018I just want justice\u2019: Family mourns toddler killed in west Phoenix hit-and-run<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI decided to establish the environmental justice task force, try to figure out what\u2019s happening in our community, reached out to the University of Arizona, and asked them for help,\u201d Robles said.<\/p>\n

Progress on treatment facilities<\/b><\/h3>\n

Beamer credits Robles for bringing the national conference to Tucson and for pushing the federal government to build and expand PFAS treatment facilities in the area.<\/p>\n

In April, after years of delay, the federal government published its proposed settlement<\/b><\/u><\/i> with the city to help construct a PFAS treatment system at the Tucson Area Remediation Plan, which was previously recognized as a Superfund site.<\/p>\n

Despite this milestone, Robles said she\u2019d like to see a greater focus on victims of PFAS contamination and hopes this week\u2019s conference can help experts achieve that goal.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo raise awareness, to educate, and also to try to draw in and build relationships with other scientists, people who are interested and who know about these, and are willing to bring that work to our community,\u201d Robles said.<\/p>\n

The conference will continue through Wednesday and includes several sessions that are open to the public<\/b><\/u><\/i>.<\/p>\n

More information on PFAS and additional resources for providers and community members can be found on the U of A\u2019s Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center website<\/b><\/u><\/i>.<\/b><\/u><\/i> <\/p>\n

Are you streaming 13 News?<\/p>\n

Watch a free live stream of Tucson Now and 13 News at TucsonNow.Live.<\/p>\n

Be sure to download the free Tucson Now app, which you can find on Apple and Google.<\/p>\n

If you are using a desktop computer, you can use your mobile device to scan the QR code below.<\/p>\n

Read more PCSD releases statement after three YouTubers arrested near Nancy Guthrie\u2019s home<\/a><\/p>\n

You can submit your breaking news or weather images here.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s the first time the conference is being held west of the Mississippi. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1702,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nNational PFAS experts gather in Tucson to address forever chemicals - Tucson Moving Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1703\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"National PFAS experts gather in Tucson to address forever chemicals - Tucson Moving Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It's the first time the conference is being held west of the Mississippi.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=1703\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Tucson Moving Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-09T07:03:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=1703#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=1703\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71841c7d449e6ab1ace6bce2f5277255\"},\"headline\":\"National PFAS experts gather in Tucson to address forever chemicals\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-09T07:03:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=1703\"},\"wordCount\":687,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=1703#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/d7d0d112a35e6f6efaba29c00a7721a8.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=1703#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=1703\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=1703\",\"name\":\"National PFAS experts gather in Tucson to address forever chemicals - 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